


Reconciliation

by Obvious Reactionary (Mysterious_Prophetess)



Series: Lab Rat [17]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alien Keith (Voltron), Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-16
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2018-08-31 08:13:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8571061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysterious_Prophetess/pseuds/Obvious%20Reactionary
Summary: Families are torn apart and put back together again as the universe watches.





	1. Commission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Galra cub accepts a comission to serve with his mother
> 
> His mother discovers something big

Kioreth arrived early to breakfast and saw only the piles of food and droids had preceded him. He reached for a plate of meats whenever his mother arrived.

"Morning Mother,"

"Good Morning, Ki'eth," she said, "I hope you weren't planning on sneaking out to the city today."

"Of course not," Kioreth said. He had taken normally what Arlioth would consider a small helping but the rest of the family, except Aunt Merra, considered large, but he'd been starving recently.

"Good, because you don't have a free day today, you're with me," she said as she grabbed her plate full of food. Kioreth smiled. It had been a while since he'd be alone with his Mother.

"Hey, I heard you snuck out, runt!" Arlioth said messing with Kiroeth's hair as the younger galra was trying to eat.

"I still think he was aided and abetted."

"Morning, Aunt Arriora!" The other of his Druid relatives had arrived to breakfast, her hood down and the coastal galra looked in desperate need of energy. Twyla passed her the caf and the table fell silent except for the sounds of eating. Arriora was the first one done despite being the last one there.

"Lots to do. See you all at dinner," she said walking out looking a bit less like a _marbah_. Of course, with her yellow face markings and white hair, no one would mistake her for anything other than a druid.

"Look who I managed drag out of the lab and to breakfast!" Zaerif said as he entered with a jungle galra woman who looked ready to rip his head off, otherwise known as,

"Morning, Aunt Terra," Keith said.

"Is it?" she said. She sat down and nearly dozed off at her plate, her light purple mane looking frazzled.

"Is that my egg-head twin sister actually at breakfast?" Aunt Herra, Terra's more muscular identical twin had arrived.

"It's a new record," Twyla said, "No one has seen her outside for a week."

"It is not," Terra snapped after chugging a mug of caf and immediately filling up another, "I've gone ten days before!"

"That's it. We're assigning a droid to drag your _soi_ out of that lab to eat every other day," Merra said as she entered carrying her personal mug that was already brimming with caf in it. The others stared at her and it. "What? You hate it when I drink from the pot, but now you're judging my mug?"

"Are you sure that's not just a slightly different pot, Aunt Merra?" Kioreth said. The others laughed but she rolled her eyes and sat down next to Arlioth.

"Ha-ha," Merra said, but without any real heat to it. It was the most siblings they'd had at the table in a while.

"Anyone else want to judge my caf habits?" Merra asked from behind her heaped plate.

"I would but I'm just as guilty," Zaerif said.

"Same," Herra and Terra said in unison.

"The only one here _not_ addicted to that stuff is the cub and that's because we won't let him drink it," Arlioth said.

"And that will continue unless you want shoved out an airlock," Twyla said sweetly.

"This is what happens when Merra is responsible for the primary care of a cub," Arlioth said. Herra tossed an empty plate at his head.

"Think before you speak, bolts-for-brains!" Herra said.

"It's ok, Herra, I've got this," Merra said before she slapped Arlioth up alongside his head.

"She's abusing me and you're just letting her?" Arlioth said.

"You earned that," Twyla said as she refiled her mug for the third time, "Stupidity should hurt, House of Zarkon Rule #3."

"What're Rules #1 and #2 then?" Arlioth asked.

"Rule #2, even though it's funny to see him swell up, we do not trick Lotor into eating Iyurian Plums," Terra said,

"and Rule #1 is Lotor is forever disinvited to the Annual Celebration of Family for the rest of our collective lives for an incident even _you_ should remember without prompting."

"Oh, right," Arlioth said.

"Arli, you'd think you'd learn not to pick fights with our sisters."

"Zari." The older full brother of Arlioth was a nearly black shade of violet for his fur, just as tall, and his ears were smaller. His coat was also more wiry and fluffy.

"You're actually on the home world for once!" Merra said.

"Father is growing weary of the Piracy plaguing some of the border systems in other sectors and since I've had massive success in suppressing pirates, he wants my skills elsewhere," Zari said filling up his plate, "IF that means I get to see the rest of the family, who am I to say no."

"Unless it's Lotor," Arlioth said. Zari's face fell flat as he ate.

"Twyla, your engineering fleet will now be under my protection, and I've convinced Father to assign an actual fighter pilot vessel to act as your permanent escort," he said.

"Really? Who?" Twyla said.

"Kioreth," he said.

"Jerk! I was going to take him into my fleet!" Herra said.

"Like you'd have beaten me to him," Merra snorted.

"Aw, but I wanted him!" Arlioth said. The others rolled their eyes.

"I was designing a new class of fighter at Zari's request for the past week, now I know why," Terra said.

"You'd commission as an Ensign and be answerable to your mother more than ever, if you accept this," Zari said.

"Of course!" Kioreth said.

"Good. You'll report to Terra's lab to get the manuals for your new fighter and then to the simulators to get a feel for how it moves," Zari said.

"Thank you Uncle Zari!"

"You're welcome, but it'll be Admiral Zari whenever others are around and Captain Twyla and not "mother.""

"I understand, sir!" Kiroeth said saluting. The others just laughed at the cub's eagerness.

"You understand, you won't be seeing any _real_ action escorting my engineering crew," Twyla said.

"I know, but I heard about the pirate incident from Uncle Arlioth," Kioreth said.

"If I order you to leave me behind, I expect you to follow that order. Your Aunts and Uncles have fleets all over Galra space, and will be able to rescue me," Twyla said.

"But-."

"I will be fine but promise me you'll follow that order. Promise me."

"I promise."

"Good, finish your food, you've got a lot to go over today before you even get to the tasks I had already planned on assigning you," Twyla said.

— — — — — — — — — — v — — — — vv— — — — — — — v — — — — vv— — — — — v — — — — — — — v — — — — vv

"I know this isn't an exciting read, but you need to know your ship inside and out," Twyla said from across the table from him. They were in Terra's private study where the manuals for his new fighter were all over the table. She had blazed right through most of the manuals with ease. Then again, she was the trained mechanical engineer.

"So if I crash, I can tell how screwed I am" Kioreth said.

"Yes, and you might be able to fix some minor things yourself. The fact this is a prototype is also problematic. There are already several things I'm going to need to tweak to keep it running smoothly, but that's why Terra usually gives the "honor" of her prototypes to a pilot engineer or a pilot who will be serving with an engineer," Twyla said. Kioreth sighed and got back to reading. It wasn't that he _didn't_ understand what he was reading, but he just preferred action.

"Come take look at this section," Twyla beckoned him over and she pressed a button on the holopad she had and it projected an image of the engine chamber and its crystal.

"This is not a balmera crystal. It's something new. It's raw crystallized quintessence. I've heard Haggar was trying to do something with it, but this is both frightening and strange. This had all the power of a large Balmera crystal but it's only a fraction of the size. I'm going to need to double and triple check the power circuits coming off this thing or you could end up basically piloting a mobile missile," Twyla said. Kioreth gulped, "Or…nah. Anyway, get back to reading."

— — — — — — — — — — v — — — — vv— — — — — — — v — — — — vv— — — — — v — — — — — — — v — — — — vv

"Mother, take a look at this," Kioreth said. Twyla walked over and her eyes widened as she looked at the section Kioreth was reading.

"I can barely make sense of it."

"I can. It's—I need to speak with your Aunt. You've read the parts you really needed to. The more complex elements require years of experience and training you simply don't have yet. I suggest you use the simulator program Terra provided for you," Twyla said.

"Is everything ok?"

"It might be nothing but I really need to discuss this with your Aunt," Twyla said.

— — — — — — — — — — v — — — — vv— — — — — — — v — — — — vv— — — — — v — — — — — — — v — — — — vv

_"Terra, are you insane!" Terra looked up to see Twyla in her lab._

_"Oh, so you found_ that _section then."_

_"I did. What are you trying to accomplish? Not one engineer in 10,000 years has ever successfully replicated a Lion of Voltron!"_

_"Father said he wanted a craft without peer made, so I went with what I knew was peerless and then proceeded from there."_

_"Where did you eve get the readings to even_ **_think_ ** _about attempting this?"_

_"The Red Lion was in our custody for centuries, little sister. Did you not think, in all that time, that I wouldn't have made sure to scan it to try to unlock Altean engineering secrets?" Terra said._

_"You're trying to mimmic the Red Lion with this?"_

_"Yes. It's not anywhere near as elegant as its Altean counterparts, but compared to an average ship, Project Night Lion will be more than enough, short of going up against the real Voltron, should Night Lion prove successful, I will make four others to go with Kioreth's lion with his serving as its head," Terra said._

_"Do you think your imitation will hold up against the real deal?"_

_"No. I don't, but I can learn and make better and better robots until I manage to make a proper AI like the ones in the lions," Terra said, "This all may backfire on me someday if the AI decides to rebel, but I will achieve the dream someday, somehow."_

_"If my son ends up hurt because of this—."_

_"I'd end my own life than willingly kill your cub," Terra said, "He's the only nephew I've got and I'd rather sacrifice the empire than let another niece or nephew die." Twyla sighed._

_"I'm sorry for jumping on you."_

_"It's ok, you're a mother. You're supposed to go insane with worry over your cubs," Terra said patting her sister on the shoulder._

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the beginning of the end of the _Lab Rat_ series. I had always planned on ending it with a multichapter fic and this is it. I don't know how many chapters there will be yet, but like the one-shots, the updates will be Wednesdays.   
>  Thanks for all your support thus far.  
> -MP


	2. Sortie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A routine sortie to test out a new prototype is not so routine after all.

Twyla observed her son as he worked through the simulator in what would have been an impressive score for a mere cadet flying a craft such as the Night Lion, but it left a bad taste in her mouth as she realized he competence her son showed with Night Lion was because of his status as the Red Paladin of Voltron. This pseudo-Black Paladin position with this imitation Volron would only bring more harm than good. Especially since as brilliant as her sister was, she had no idea how Terra was even going go about replicating the combination function and power amplification that came with forming Voltron in the first place.

“Captain!” She turned to see it was one of her crewmen: he second in command in fact.

“At ease, Lieutenant Laryal. What do you think?” She asked gesturing to the display that showed the images within the simulation. These were ordinarily disabled unless an instructor needed to be present.

“The pilot is remarkable as is the machine. Are we to service it next?”

“No. This is to be our escort while the prototype is being tested out. The Ensign in question is a very talented pilot. He is also my son,” Twyla said.

“Prince Kioreth! But He—.”

“Will obey our orders like the well trained cadet he is—was—and should he disobey one of my orders, you will be the one disciplining him as my second in command to avoid any rumors of parental favoritism. He wouldn’t even be with us, ordinarily, but Admiral Zari insists that a prototype like this serve both as our escort to deter further attacks of pirates on our convoy and should anything happen, we can all pitch in together to fix it,” Twyla said.

“And the fact it’s your cub would make you more determined to keep the ship in flying shape.”

“Yes. This is project Night Lion. Scientist Terra’s latest attempt to replicate Altean technology based on her studies of the Red Lion,” Twyla said.

“It looks like a marvelous attempt but lacks a certain elegance.”

“My sister said that too.”

“She is trying to make us our own Voltron? To what end?”

“I’m not sure what she’s trying aside from doing this for the pure science of it. The Emperor will be pleased none-the-less should she manage it and is pleased with her progress thus far,” Twyla said.

“This could change everything for the universe if your sister cracks the secret.”

“Yes. Yes it could.”

_——————————————————— ———————————————_

_Ji-hun flew Red in-between laser bursts while drawing enemy fire to allow the Green Paladin’s probe to imitate its hack into the system or something. He was a biologist not engineer, damn it! Though, he also appeared to be a fair pilot. A skill he picked up quickly with Red’s help. He and his son finally had something in common aside from their looks. Well, they used to have that in common._

_“It’s a research vessel!” Pidge, said over the comms, “Rover 2 is downloading everything as fast as possible, but they’re starting to mount a defense both in space and in cyberspace!” Ji-hun noted that and flew over to help take the pressure off the Yellow Lion and Hunk. The Black Lion was doing by far the most damage to the ship._

_“Paladins, there is a wormhole inbound!”The display on his screen showed it and out came lightly armored vehicles and a smaller less elegant Black Lion shaped vessel. Voltron, and the Galra ship they’d been bombarding collectively stopped to stare at this new development before it took to attacking the real Black Lion in a vicious, Galra like manner. Typical Galra soldier! Red roared in his mind and he charged at the false-Lion but the pilot turned out to be extremely good and maneuvered way and blasted Red with hot plasma setting off alarms._

_“Form Voltron!” Allure’s command came. Ji-hun trusted these kids (even the twenty-five-year-old was a kid to him) and knew this was what they needed to do. Voltron formed and the imitation didn’t stop trying. It even materialized weapons the Red Lion had, albeit in distorted forms._

_“They based this on the Red Lion!” Pidge said, “They must have had the Red Lion longer than we thought if they were able to make that thing!”_

_“It can’t compare to the real deal!” Lance said. Ji-hun nodded and they sent a blast at the strange vehicle only to have the pilot nimbly dodge._

_“Geez this Galra can fly!” Hunk said. There was a collective pause._

_“No. Way.” Lance said, “We can’t be that lucky!”_

_“There might be a way to tell for sure,” Shiro said, “If we can force the pilot into a situation only Keith could get out of, then we are that lucky.”_

——————————————————— ————————————————————————

Kioreth cursed the day he thought a sortie to break in the prototype “Night Lion” would be boring. Oh wait, that was still _today_! Of all the rotten luck to wormhole into a routine repair session for the Research Vessel Kulea, Voltron was there. The lions were both awe-inspiring and nostalgic for him and Kioreth had no idea _why_.He _had_ made the Red Paladin back off a bit, which was odd. The few reports he’d been allowed to see (when Uncle Sinecline would “accidentally” slip coded intelligence reports into Kioreth’s assignments) indicated the Red Paladin should be fighting with the intensity of a Galra andthis seemed more like an alien’s fighting just like the other four lions. Then, Voltron formed. His mother and her crew were counting on him drawing their fire while they repaired the Kulea on the fly enough to take a wormhole without too much damage.

“Hold their attention for five more minutes, Ensign. It shouldn’t be hard since they’re likely appalled by Night Lion’s existence."

“Understood, Captain!”The control panel really needed simplification, he would make sure to note that to Aunt Terra if he got out of this. No. _When_. Galra don’t surrender!He urged Night Lion onwards, avoiding the swiped and blasts from Voltron, which his sensor indicated would have ripped through parts of Night Lion as if it were made of the curst of a glorfi tart. His own retaliating damage was surface and enough to annoy the massive robot he was fighting. It didn’t help Night Lion was already half the size of the smallest Lion. They were trying to corner him? Why? What would they have to gain. He ignored the flashing indicator that the enemy wanted to talk. He didn’t have time or a need to talk to these _aliens_.

—————————————— ———————————————————

_“Paladins, I am feeling an almost distorted version of the Red Lion’s quintessence emanating from that Lion,” Allura said._

_“Makes sense if they copied it,” Pidge said, “Think the castle can hack its way into that lion so we can see who’s piloting it?”_

_“You can count on me!” Coran said. The lion’s primitive AI fought off the hack as well as it could, but when faced with genuine Altean tech, the defenses fell and Coran opened a channel between the Paladins, the Castle Ship, and this strange creation that identified itself as Night Lion._

_“You’re live, Paladins,” Coran said._

—————————————————— ————————————

Kioreht’s eyes widened whenever the communications screen launched itself. He’d been hacked! The faces looking at him seemed surprised?

“ _What?_ ” he snarled at them

————————————————— —————————————————————

 _“It’s official. We_ **_are_ ** _that lucky,” Lance said as everyone stared at the snarling purple face of their missing paladin. There was no recognition in the yellow eyes. Total and utter blank in everything to do with them._

 _“Keith Akira Kogane,_ **_stop this NOW_ ** _!” Ji-hun ordered in Korean._

———————————————————— ———————————————

Kioreth felt like something was trying to make itself known to him at the sound of that alien language he understood, some how.

“Ensign, we’re good to go. Disengage!”

“Yes, Captain!” Kioreth said before he pulled off a complicated maneuver to break free of Voltron and slammed his fist down on the physical disconnect button for his visual comm unit. They made it away before Voltron or that Castle Ship could even think to follow them.

—————————————————— ———————————————————————

With Night Lion docked on the Kulea, Twyla and her fellow engineers were going over the damage and repairing it as best they could. It **was** a prototype after all. When they had the worst of it done so that the self-repair nanites Terra had included as part of the ship’s design could work, she stood back and let out a shaky breath.

She’d seen what her son had seen.

She didn’t think it would be that hard to see him again, but it was. It broke her heart to not communicate with him but she was supposed to be 100% loyal now, and contacting her alien lover would be against that “programming.”

“Permission to speak freely?” She turned to see her cub had joined her.

“Granted Ensign,” Twyla said. She was startled by the hug. Then again, her son was like her. She didn’t like physical contact unless something had **really** rattled her. Seeing the father erased from his own memories and thought dead alive and flying the Lion that was properly his would rattle him and with the memory block, he had no idea why. Twyla just ran her fingers through his mane.

—————————————————— ———————————————————————

_Ji-hun had seen the face that had popped up briefly before Keith had escaped in that thing with the others._

_Twyla. She hadn’t aged a day._

_“Dude, anyone else see the purple lady?” Lance said once they made it back to the hanger bay._

_“We all saw her, Lance. You ok?” Hunk asked._

_“What do you think?” Ji-hun said._

_“Ok, Keith totally got his anti-social tendencies from both of you,” Lance said._

_“She’s rebellion: why didn’t she help us get Keith back?” Pidge asked._

_“You said it; she’s rebellion. She can’t tip her hand, or she’ll be punished,” Shiro said._

_“Though, what was with that knock-off Lion?”_

_“It is called Night Lion, according to the hack we managed to initiate and it is part of a greater threat. It was flawed, but it is the closest the Galra have ever gotten to fully replicating Altean robotics,” Coran said._

_“We fear that’s not where they’re going to stop,” Allura said._

_“What, like make their own Voltron?” Lance said. The Alteans’ faces said it all._

_“Quiznak.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mea Maxima Culpa. I had a rough week and that's why this chapter is late/Early.  
> I have to also admit with the end of the semester 3 weeks away, I might not update on time until after Dec 12 for this story.  
> For those who read _In Every Lost Soul the Bones of a Miracle_ it'll continue because I've already finished that story.  
>  _Lab Ra_ t is written as I go, though for a while I had a buffer of one-shots built up to buy me time to write.


	3. Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The encounter with Voltron has left one pilot very, _very_ confused.

That Alien piloting the Red Lion’s face wouldn’t leave Kioreth alone. Neither would that name. Keith Akira Kogane. Why did that name sound so…. _right_? It was also a little like the pet name his mother had for him, “Ki’eth.” Did that Alien know that somehow and sought to confuse him. He had a brief flash of that man swinging him around in the air, he was a small cub, and he was furless? Kioreth shook his head. That was nonsense! He wasn’t some hairless alien, he was a Galra warrior, son of Twyla, Grandson of Zarkon! He needed to train. He climbed off his cot and changed into a loose tunic and pants. They were berthed on the Kuala while the engineers did extensive repairs to the ship, thus, he as escort officer had little to do. Kioreth walked out into the hallways encountering one of the actual crew.

“Which way to the training room?”

“Second level, fifth door on the left. You’re that pilot?”

“Ensign Kioreth,” Kioreth said saluting the Lieutenant.

“Impressive flying out there. Be sure to apply for the fight corps in the future. Veript Sah.”

“Veript Sah.”

———————————————————————————————————————————————

Kioreth was half-way through his basic fighting drills whenever the doors opened and his mother joined him.

“Care to take on your dear old mom?” she asked while stretching.

“Is the ship almost fully repaired?” Kioreth asked slipping into a defensive stance.

“For now. We have to let the patches hold for a bit before we can continue working on them,” Twyla said. She feinted and nearly caught Kioreth in the gut, but he blocked at the last second and sent a vicious jab to her side which she twirled away from, while grabbing his wrist and flipping him.

“You’re distracted, Ki’eth,” she said.

“Who was my father?” Kioreth asked. Twyla stopped in mid motion and looked away.

“Your father was from a backwater world,” Twyla said, “He was kind and helpful to me after I’d crash-landed.”

“What was his name?”

“Vivek. In Galran his name is Vivek,” Twyla said.

“Where is he now?”

“I don’t know.”

———————————————————————————————————————————————

_Ji-hun practiced a few more sets of sword stances._

_“Your sword is different than Keith’s.” It was Shiro._

_“I should think that my fighting style is different,” Ji-hun said._

_“No kidding! Keith’s style is violent and flashy!” Lance said,_

_“More like unrestrained,” Shiro said.”I was always telling him “patience yields focus.””_

_“Good advice,” Ji-hun said, “Advice I am having trouble following.”_

_“Because it’s your son and sort-of-wife out there?” It was Pidge._

_“Yes. I worry for Twyla. She is walking a fine line as a rebel and a daughter of Zarkon every waking moment, and should she be discovered, there is no telling what that monster will do to her or our son.”_

_“Paladins, we’ve discovered something that might help us locate that mockery and get Keith back,” Allura said entering the training room._

———————————————————————————————————————————————

_Twyla double checked the welds before resuming work on the engines/_

_“Captain, ETA on repairs?”_

_“A couple vrems and your ship will be back in tip-top shape,” Twyla said,_

_“Excellent. How did your team acquire an Ensign like that to escort you in that ship?”_

_“Luck and genetics. He’s my cub,” Twyla said._

_“Your own cub? That is unusual,” the commander of the Kulea said._

_“My older brother had a hand in this, otherwise, I’d rather my cub was still a cadet,” Twyla said._

———————————————————————————————————————————————

Kioreth was doing flight checks once the rest of his mother’s crew had given him a heads up that they were ready to depart the Kulea.

“We’re headed to our next assignment. The Habitation Modules around Xandar VI are in dire need of repulser repairs,” Twyla said over the fleet comms.

“Yes, Captain.”

“Everyone’s preflight checks in the green?” A chorus of,

“Yes, Captain” was heard.

“Let’s get going to the Xandar system.”

———————————————————————————————————————————————

_“Based on their trajectory, they’re heading to the Xandar system,” Coran said pointing to the system on the display._

_“Xandar?”_

_“You know it?”_

_“It’s where the largest Iyurian survivor contingent lives,” Ji-hun said._

_‘“With luck we can use this to help get Keith away from the galra,” Shiro said._

_“Then what? He doesn’t seem to remember anything?” Pidge said._

_“We jog his memory anyway we can,” Shiro said._

_“What could possibly go wrong,” Hunk said._

———————————————————————————————————————————————

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This was updated early because I felt like it :D  
> Happy Memorial Day!  
> I've replaced the Author's Note, obviously. Enjoy the _real_ chapter 3. I apologize for its brevity.  
>  Can you guess what movie I've seen recently that I adored? :P  
> Thanks for everyone who've stuck with me during this.
> 
> PS I got a 4.0 for the Spring Semester ^_^
> 
> PSS After this week's early update, _Lab Rat_ will resume its Wednesday update schedule.


	4. Rendez-Vous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Two forces collide on Xandar. The Lost is found, but are they really?_

Xandar. Not only was it one of the more populated hubs in the system, they were also the ones whose people posed the greatest threat to Galran supremacy, or so the propaganda of the Galra Government said. Kioreth observed the planet and its various settlements from the cockpit of Night Lion. His mother’s crew had already landed, but his prototype had to be kept a secret from even the civilians of the Galran Empire, lest word get out about a pseudo-Lion of Voltron before Project Phantom Zone was ready to be unveiled, with Kioreth and Night Lion being the centerpiece. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

Then there was that Red Paladin. His face would not leave Kioreth alone. He’d never seen that alien, or any other like him before, right? Not having his memories was proving to be far too troublesome.

“Ensign, do you copy?” It was his mother.

“Yes, Captain,” he said.

“I’m flying a cargo shuttle up into orbit. Buail le with me,” she said.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Kioreth said. He saw the approaching cargo ship with its docking bay doors shut, allowing him to exit the cockpit of Night Lion. Twyla was waiting for him.

“When we’re on the surface of Xandar it is of paramount importance that you do not address me as mother,” she said, “Also, don’t be alarmed if you’re called cross-breed.”

“But we’re not,” Kioreth.

“Not in the ways it counts,” Twyla said, “Druid potential is actually an indicator of an Altean ancestor. Not all of Altea betrayed us, and many joined with us to the point the Coast Galra exist in the numbers that they do. In fact, the higher the Altean cross, the higher the potential. My mother was a high Altean cross by ancestry.”

“We’ve been descendants of Altea this whole time?” Kioreth said. He felt horrified for some reason.

“Don’t make that face, cub. It’s a hidden secret amongst us with white manes and hair on Doom.” Twyla crossed her arms, “Don’t forget, your favorite uncle is a direct cross.” Uncle Sinecline.

“Yes, but so is my least favorite uncle,” Kioreth said.

“Smart cea,” Twyla said. She messed up the mane between his ears, forcing him to fix it, “You’ve got something on your face, cub. Eating in the cockpit again even after your Aunt Terra said not to?”

“What are you talking about?” Kioreth said. Twyla licked a finger before she rubbed at his right cheek and then the left one. Her eyes widened and she stopped.

“What is it?”

“You’ve gained facial marks. Red ones,” she said.

“What? But—.”

“It happens sometimes,” Twyla said, “I know my mother was hoping mine would manifest and was bitterly disappointed when that didn’t happen.”

“I don’t have to be a druid, do I?” Kioreth said. He had an irrational fear of them too. Something that, apparently, was another side effect of his accident.

“Of course not. You can chose to do whatever you want. Don’t let Malior or Arriora pressure you into it. I’d prefer you weren’t anywhere near the front lines but you’re one ifreanne of a pilot,” Twyla said.

———————————————————————————————————————————————

_“Can we really trust these Iyurians after your uncle lied to you about Keith?” Lance said._

_“My uncle is only one person, not the whole of Iyruian survivors,” Ji-hun said._

_“There have been a crew of galra led by a white haired female with the ears of a shpinrx on planet for several tirems,” an Iyurian said. His violet eyes seemed to bore holes into Lance’s skull._

_“Was she accompanied by a cub?” Allura said._

_“Not that we saw, however, she departed with a cargo shuttle not long ago, and our sources have spotted it returning.”_

_“She must have gone to get Keith,” Shiro._

_“I bet it’s so that their knock-off lion doesn’t spark a panic,” Pidge said. Matt and Sam Holt were lost in the whole discussion._

_“Why would that lion he was flying cause a panic?” Sam asked._

_“Voltron is a big deal. Imagine the panic that would spread across the galaxy should it ever come out that the Galra Empire was getting even remotely close to replicating its technological might,” Shiro said._

_“It’d be like a herd of panicking gulirans!” Coran said._

_“So, really bad,” Hunk said._

_“Even if you snatch back your friend, what if they just assign some other Galra to fly it?” Matt said._

_“Then we take it out,” Shiro said. His face was grim, but there would be no other alternative. There could be no way this replica Voltron could be allowed to exist._

———————————————————————————————————————————————

Kioreth had to change out of his pilot’s uniform and put on a spare engineering uniform. A cadet pilot was unheard of, but a cadet engineer was common practice. The only reason Twyla’s corps didn’t have any cadets with them was because of a direct request on her part not to deal with half trained cubs. Playing the Princess card sometimes was to her advantage.

“If anyone asks, we’re not directly related,” Twyla said. Kiroeth nodded, “I’m trusting you. Be back at the hanger by dinner time and you’ll be allowed to roam Xandar during the day while we’re here fixing the Galra-Xandarian fleet’s ships.”

“Understood!” Kioreth said. He was being given leave on an alien world _without_ his mother, or any family leaning over his shoulder.

“While you’re out, be sure to place these orders to keep up the illusion you’re out little cadet,” Twyla said handing him a data pad and a credit tab, “There’s extra there that’s equal to your mission pay. Have fun, and observe all local laws, unless some lowlives threaten you, then fight like a Galra.”

“I’m not an infant,” Kioreth said.

“You’ll always be a baby to me,” Twyla said. Kioreth’s cheeks heated up before he ran off.

———————————————————————————————————————————————

The Xandarian city of Nova was massive. He found the right places to order the parts as he was asked. The mechanics who saw him gave him sympathetic looks.

“I was the low man on the totem pole once, it gets better kid,” the last one said. Kioreth nodded politely. He was getting to explore as he pleased, this was awesome. First thing was first. He was starving. There was some sort of meat for sale nearby. The alien selling it looked a little like the alien Red Paladin. He shook his head.

“How much for the meat?” he asked in Standard.

“40 GAC for four,” the alien said. Kioreth handed him the tab and took his food with a bow. _Why had he done that_? He looked around the city nibbling on the meat, observing all the aliens. There weren’t very many weapon shops in the main area, though.

“What’re you looking at, _masc_!” Kioreth bristled. Even though he’d been warned, that pejorative still made his fur bush up. He looked at the speaker. A Desert Galra.

“If your nose wasn’t so pathetic, you’d be able to smell I was 100% Jungle with Druid potential!” Kioreth snarled.

“A fancy term for a _masc_!” Kioreth’s ears flattened as he dropped his remaining skewer and drew the crest blade, deliberately concealing the crest.

“Whoa! Whoa! Easy there!” The pair turned to see a strangely dressed alien man. He looked like a pirate’s closet had thrown-up on him with that cape and those shoulder pads and was that an eyepatch? “You looking to bring the Nova Corps down on our heads? It’ll certainly not be a picnic!”

“He’s not worth it, Kormac!” The Galra and his buddies walked away. Kiroeth sheathed his dagger.

“I could have taken them,” he said.

“I’m sure you could have, bit young to be alone, aren’t you?”

“I can take care of myself!” Kioreth said.

“Let me get you something to replace that food you lost,” the alien man said. Kioreth sniffed at him. There was something familiar about the scent, and yet completely foreign to him. A noise caused him to realize he was surrounded by other aliens. Including the Red Paladin. It was an ambush. Kioreth snarled before something shot out and tazed him. As he lay twitching, fighting to regain control of his limbs, a sharp jab to his neck made the world spin and go dark.

———————————————————————————————————————————————

_“Geesh! I thought his temper was bad_ **_before_ ** _he became all amnesia-y,” Lance said._

_“What that man called him was a very derogatory word,” Coran said, “Most galra would have already been brawling at being called that before we had a chance to get into position.”_

_“What does it mean?” Hunk said._

_“Half-breed,” Ji-hun and Shiro said._

_“Keith was born a hybrid, though, if they erased his memories, then all memory being changed from a hybrid to a pure breed would have also been lost and he’s been in their culture long enough for this to have been a thing,” Pidge said._

_“We have to move quickly, we have no idea how it’ll take for his companions to realize he’s missing,” Shiro said. Ji-hun slung Keith over his shoulder, carefully and they ran down the back alleys of the city of Xandar following a group of Iyurian guides posted throughout the city._

_“Allura, we have him. We’re going to meet up with the ship in ten minutes,” Shiro said._

_“Alright, I will be on standby with a worm hole._

———————————————————————————————————————————————

Kioreth opened his eyes and was confused by his surroundings. Then it came rushing back. He was in a small room, of sorts, and the marks on the floor indicated it hadn’t been used. The air also smelled partly stale. The problem was there was only a door out and a sort of overcoat in the corner that appeared to be made up as a bed. It was a cell. **_Focail_**!

———————————————————————————————————————————————

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I raided Gaelic for the swears and other extra language elements.  
>  **cea** : ass  
>  **buail le** : Rendez-vous/meet-up/  
>  **masc** : half-breed, but it's the Galra version of the "n" word.  
>  **focail** : one of the Galran F-bombs  
>  **ifreanne** : hell
> 
> Also, as you can see, I reconciled the bombshell about Haggar with my universe's canon.


	5. Remediation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Voltron has their original Red Paladin back, except this time as a prisoner. How can they convince him that they're actually on the same side?

Kioreth stared at his cell walls and snarled. How could he have been so careless! When his mother got him out of this, he’d be grounded until he had cubs of his own. Then there was his grandfather’s reaction. The only grandson of Zarkon, he was looked at as a sort of crown jewel. He’d be rescued and his kidnappers would be sorry.

Then he was disgusted at himself for that thought.

 **He didn’t need to be rescued**! He’d rescue himself. Kioreth had made the mistake of thinking Xandar was safe. He’d never make that mistake again! He needed to calm down.

 _Patience yields focus_.

 ** _Wha-Where had that come from_** _?_ Whatever, it was good advice. Kioreth took a breath in to calm down his temper. He’d save that for his captors. The room his cell was in was not always a cell. It was too long and skinny. This meant that this was probably a storage room of sorts. He had also been kidnapped by the Paladins of Voltron. Ergo, he was on their Castleship. A castleship with the ability to wormhole. _Great_. That meant he was probably half the galaxy away from Xandar at this point. That also meant the door lock would be easier to hack open. He reached for his blade and it was gone. Of course they’d take the _comrictain_ blade! Foca, that was a pain. Kioreth found the door and noticed the interior release had recently been removed and hastily at that. Kioreth pried the covering panel off and looked at the mess of wires. He found the blue ones, because Sinecline told him it was always the blue ones, and twisted them together to cause the door to slide open with a zap to his hands. _Son of a_ — He was free!

Kioreth stuck his head out into the halls and had no idea where to go. The air was eerily void of any scents, including his own. He took a few steps down the hall only for the Blue and Yellow Paladins to be standing there waiting in full armor along with a training robot. What? He charged them, dodging their attempts to stop him and he was blindsided by the droid. He kicked it away and ducked a grab from the Yellow Paladin and used his momentum to flip the Paladin. They were speaking but he didn’t understand what they were saying. Kioreth swept the Blue Paladin’s leg out from under him. He heard a noise and turned his head, but it was too late.The Green paladin zapped him, again, and he was injected with a sedative.

———————————————————————————————————————————————

_“I wonder if Twyla taught him that,” Ji-hun said. He inspected the wires of the inside of the door._

_“They’ve had him for a month. Who knows what he’s been taught,” Sam said._

_“I’d hate to actually put him in the brig, but I don’t know how we can contain him,” Coran said._

_“Smart move on using Spanish,” Ji-hun said._

_“It’s because we know Keith doesn’t speak it,” Shiro said._

_“That’s what that was?” Allura said._

_“Why wouldn’t Keith understand that language?” Coran said._

_“On Earth, there are many different dialects and languages. It just so happens that Keith chose to learn different languages than the rest of us,” Shiro said._

_“What does he speak?” Ji-hun asked._

_“Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and English, and apparently Galran now,” Shiro said._

_“Why didn’t you jump in?” Lance said._

_“Because, you guys need practice fighting an angry Galra,” Shiro said._

_“Yeah, but now what? He’s already shown he can escape,” Pidge said._

_“We’re going to need to keep him in a cyrotube,” Coran said, “Like we did that Sendak fellow.”_

_“He’s never going to trust us if we do that,” Ji-hun said._

_“I hate to say it, but he could nearly throw_ **_Hunk_ ** _with minimal effort. Keith’s too strong to be treated with any less caution,” Shiro said._

———————————————————————————————————————————————

Kioreth awoke and this time he was in a tube with no way out. The Red Paladin was outside.

“Keith.”

“Why do you call me that!” Kioreth snarled.

“Because it’s what you were named! You’re Keith Akira Kogane. You were born on April 10, 2023, on Earth. Your mother is Captain Twyla, but you were born my son as well.”

“You lie!” Kioreth said.

“ _I would not lie about this_ , Keith!”

“ _My name is not_ Keith!”

“ _It’s not_ Kioreth _either_!”

“ _You can’t be my father because I’m not a hybrid_!” Kioreth said.

“ _You used to be until a druid got a hold of you and twisted you_!”

“ _That’s ridiculous! No druid can do that_!”

“ _Don’t you find it odd that you have no memories?_ ”

“ _I was in an accident_!”

“ _Really? Then explain the fact that you have no scars from it and there is no evidence of your dead fellow cadets_.”

“ _What do you mean by that! Are you saying they lied to me? They’re my family_!”

“ _They’re also the ruling family of an empire you were fighting_. _They took your memories away to make you more malleable. Your mother’s too_.”

“ _You lie_!”

“ _If I’m lying, how are we speaking Japanese right now_?” Kioreth blinked before he realized Ji-hun was right. They were speaking another language.

“ ** _If they were telling you the truth, then your wouldn’t understand Korean either_**.”

“Stop it.”

“ ** _You speak this language with more ease and familiarity than Galran, don’t you_**?”

“Stop it!”

“ ** _It’s because this was the language I spoke to to you as a baby. This was the first language you learned_**.”

“ ** _Stop it_**!” Kioreth shook his head and there was an image of Ji-hun younger and handing him his crest blade, but he got that from his mother! He screamed from the pain in his head before he passed out.

———————————————————————————————————————————————

_“What happened?” Coran had arrived._

_“I forced him to realize he could still speak Japanese and Korean, which meant he’d been lied to whenever he started screaming and grabbing his head,” Ji-hun said. Allura rushed up to the pod and placed a hand on it, closing her eyes._

_“What’s she doing?” Ji-hun said._

_“I’m trying to figure out what’s wrong with Keith,” she said. Her eyes snapped open, “It’s a block.”_

_“Can you remove it?” Ji-hun asked._

_“I can try,” Allura said. She closed her eyes but opened them, “I’d need direct contact with him.”_

_“Is that safe?” Matt said. He’d just arrived._

_“I’m more than a match for Keith, even like this,” Allura said. Coran pressed the side panel and Keith’s body flopped out. Ji-hun barely caught him. Though, Keith was now taller than even his father. He rearranged Keith so he was holding him in a less constricted way. He moved some of Keith’s mane out of his face._

_“Question, why is his hair white now?” Matt said._

_“We can figure that out later,” Allura said. She placed her hand on Keith’s forehead and closed her eyes._

———————————————————————————————————————————————

_She found herself in a blank space. In the middle of the room was Keith holding his head._

_“Keith, I’m here to help,” Allura said._

_“I’m not Keith!” he said. Allura placed a hand on the ground, for lack of a better term, and energy surged out from her hand revealing a locked up building._

_“If you’ll got there, you’ll find out who you are,” Allura said._

_“I know who I am!” Keith turned away from her. He started walking away._

_“Do you?” Keith faltered. He turned back. “If you want the truth, you must undo that lock.”_

———————————————————————————————————————————————

Kioreth saw the Altean woman vanished. Princess Allura. He approached the door and the lock pulsed. He saw the image of a druid. He drew back, shaking. He tried again. _It was Uncle Malior_? This meant….he had to break that lock! Kioreth reached for his blade and touched empty air. Right. He slammed his fist against the door, which made the frame shake a little. He continued to attack the door. A memory escaped.

_“So, if I can’t brainwash you or overwrite your memories, I can do something that you might be able to undo on your own someday, if you’re lucky. I’m just going to lock these memories away.” Malior said._

 

_Why had his Uncle Malior locked his memories away. Why would he be avoiding brainwashing him! Why would he even need to be brainwashed in the first place?_

 

Only one way to find out. Others kept telling him he had druid potential. It was time to finally try using that potential. He focused on the lock and exerted his will. The lock disintegrated and the door was flung open, the next he knew was more pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Wednesday!
> 
> Galran Vocab
> 
> Foca: shit
> 
> comrictain: Galran f-bomb


	6. Recognition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is back, and more conflicted than ever, as well as confused as he is reunited with the father he thought _dead_ for the last eleven years. 
> 
> While Voltron is happily folding back in their missing piece, Twyla discovers that she was never quite as alone as she thought.

Yellow eyes snapped open taking in the room. It was his room. It _smelled_ like his room. Keith sat up holding his head. Last thing he remembered, they were on that planet Larsh-somehing VII, and—Everything came rushing back. Keith stumbled into his bathroom and saw that his mane was white and there really were marks on his face. It wasn’t a dream. He really had been captured by—by his family for a month. It had felt like so much longer than a month! His aunts and uncles, even Zarkon, they’d—His mother! She—she was going to be so worried and with her own brainwashing—wait a second, if his Uncle Malior, his _rebel_ Uncle was behind that, could she also have not been—. Keith shook his head again. There’s no way he was that lucky. His memories of the past month were slightly out of phase. It almost felt like another person. His ear twitched whenever the door to his room slid open.

“Keith?” **_What!_** Keith clumsily ran out and it was.

“Appa?” Keith knew what his nose was telling him, what his eyes were telling him, but-but—. Ji-hun Kogane was there, **_alive_**. Keith was frozen by his shock, but his father wasn’t because he grabbed Keith into a hug that he was stiff in for a moemnt before he hugged his father back, crying a little.

“Careful, young one, you’re a lot stronger than you used to be,” his father wheezed. Keith let go, as if burned, “Don’t be like that. I don’t care what you look like, you’re my son: purple or pink. I fell in love with your mother, after all, and she is very purple.”

“Where were you?” Keith asked.

“I thought you were dead,” Ji-hun said.

“I was told you were dead,” Keith said.

“My Uncle orchestrated this to keep me away from you,” Ji-hun said, “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“But it does! Why would he—.”

“He knew what your mother was,” Ji-hun said. Keith felt cold. Even when he’d presented as human, his Galran heritage had still been held against him.

“She still misses you,” Keith said, “She doesn’t say it, but I’d see her watching other couples while I was….”

“Away,” Ji-hun said, “The others will want to see you.”

“After how hard I fought against them?” Keith asked.

“They knew it wasn’t your fault,” Ji-hun said.

———————————————————————————————————————————————

Keith was surprised to see that it wasn’t just Allura, Coran, and the other Paladins but the Holts as well.

“Keith! You are Keith right now, right?” Hunk was the first one up. Keith nodded. That was all Hunk needed before he grabbed Keith into a tight hug. Pidge, Lance, and Shiro joined him.

“Keith, meet my family! Dad, Matt, meet Keith!” Pidge had let go and gestured between them.

“Nice to meet you,” Keith said. He felt very out of place. He was a Galra and they were captured by his…people.

“Nice to meet you too. Don’t worry, Katie explained about your…”situation.” Dr. Sam Holt. Call me Sam.” Keith nodded.

“So, why’s your hair all white and what’s with the marks on your face?” Lance pointed to his own hair and face.

“I’m not sure really, but it’s because…it’s because it turns out my mother’s family has Altean ancestors. All Druids do,” Keith said. Allura and Coran both gasped.

“Alteans like— _oh_ ,” Lance said.

“Were they prisoners or…..” Pidge trailed off.

“Or. They…they sided with the Galra against the rest of Altea,” Keith couldn’t look Coran and Allura in the eyes.

“So, your hair and marks are an Atavism,” Coran said, “As well as your quintessence sensitivity?” Keith nodded.

“If we didn’t throw you off the team before, why are you acting like we’re going to now?” Shiro said, “It doesn’t matter who your family is or was, you’re Keith and you’re our Red Paladin.”

“But—.”

“I was always just a temp. Red and I both agreed on that,” Ji-hun said reaching up and messing with Keith’s ears.

“Dude! How come you swatted my hands for that but not him?” Lance said.

“He’s my Dad.”

“I’m his Dad.” Keith and his father blinked at the unison speech but gave Lance identical bland looks.

“Gah! They’re multiplying!”

———————————————————————————————————————————————

“Keith, do you have a moment?” Keith stopped midswing with his bayard. He’d missed this so much and hadn’t even known it!

“Yes?” Coran had walked in.

“That ship you piloted. Was it the only one?” Coran asked.

“At the moment. My-My aunt was working on more,” Keith said.

“Your Aunt is the one who made that thing?” Coran looked surprised. Keith nodded.

“Aunt Terra. She’s more into the science of it than the war applications,” Keith said, “She was upset it lacked the “elegance” of Altean technology.”

“Do you know how soon they’re going to make the others?” Shiro had joined them.

“I’m not sure. I was chosen to be the test pilot of their Black Lion, Night Lion, but with me…”captured” I’m not sure who that will fall to now,” Keith said.

“Whoever it is, they won’t be anywhere near as good a pilot as the previous guy,” Shiro said messing up Keith’s hair.

———————————————————————————————————————————————

_Twyla acted appropriately distraught over her son’s capture by “those terrible Paladins.” It’s a good thing she already established that she preferred to throw herself into her work to bury her feelings before this happened. Though, she was still his mother. She still worried. What if he couldn’t break Malior’s seal? What if he never got his true memories back?_

_“Captain, General Zari wishes to speak with you,” it was a random underling that Twyla didn’t even bother paying attention to their face. She set her tools down and looked up at Night Lion. Time to face the audience._

———————————————————————————————————————————————

_Zari didn’t speak at first, simply walking over and drawing her into a tight embrace._

_“I am sorry,” he said._

_“It was my fault. I let him wander around Xandar—.” Twyla stopped whenever Malior came out from behind a screen along with—Sinecline?_

_“The room is secure,” Zaerif had shown up locking the door behind her._

_“What’s going on here! What’s the meaning of—.”_

_“Keep your voice down, Twy or you’ll blow our covers,” Sinecline said. Twyla’s jaw dropped._

_“All_ **_you,_ ** _all this time—You never even tried to reach out to me!”_

_“Twyla, you’re my sister and I love you, but you’ve got the worst Se’nat Face in the known universe,” Zaerif said._

_“This is an operation centuries in the making, Twy. We’ve had to be ever so careful the whole time lest we be caught,” Sinecline said._

_“But you’re—.”_

_“One of his eldest, yes. I remember the man he_ **_was_ ** _before he became….this. As far as I’m concerned, this isn’t my father, merely the marbah he became,” Sinecline said._

_“You’re willing to go against the others?” Twyla said._

_“You were.” Zari pointed right at her._

_“But why now?” Twyla asked._

_“Because, now we’ve seen that we cannot allow Voltron, or Terra’s little copy of it, stay in father’s hands or end up in hands. The Known Universe cannot take much more of this,” Malior said._

_“Are you going to sabotage Terra?” Twyla was horrified._

_“No. That would require Terra being loyal to father,” Sinecline said._

_“Her too?” Twyla said._

_“I’ve been working on flipping as many of us as possible for centuries, Twy. You’ll find the list of us who are actually loyal to father is a lot shorter than the list of his children who are rebels. We’ve also had enough of this, and we want to atone for the crimes done by the House of Zarkon,” Sinecline said, “You can continue to do your own thing and let Malior purge this from your mind, or you can join us, at last. What do you say?” Twyla stood for a few moments looking down before she looked up with an evil grin on her face._

_“As they say on Earth,_ **_fuck_ ** _yeah.”_

———————————————————————————————————————————————

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! It's only slightly late, sorry.   
> I had friends over. Friends are distracting.
> 
> Yeah, I ALWAYS intended for there to be others in the rest of the kids of Zarkon to be rebels too.  
> Twyla was just being too edgy and extra for them to safely fold her into their plans.  
> Zarkon's offspring are smart enough to realize what's happening just isn't right.  
> Sinecline especially.


	7. Rectification

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is still trying to adjust to all the changes in his life and his heart. Some father-son bonding time might do the trick.  
> Too bad life isn't going to let them.
> 
>  
> 
> _Within the Galran Empire, Project Phantom Zone moves ahead with a new pilot for Night Lion._

 

* * *

Keith squared off against his father in training gear.

“ ** _Shiro’s told me that you have had sword training on Earth, and I know that you were trained while the empire had you. Let’s see how you hold up against an Iyurian blade master_** ,” Ji-hun said.

“Hey! Stop trash-talking in Korean! The audience would like to know what’s being said!” Lance complained.

“ _How about Galran_?” Keith made the tone sound worse than what he’d actually said, so Lance scowled at him more. Shiro raised an eyebrow.

“Keith, quit messing with Lance. Lance, he didn’t actually insult you. I speak enough Galran for that,” Shiro rubbed the bridge of his nose, “Can we just get on with this sparring match?” Keith nodded. Both had training blades instead of live metal weapons. That would have only ended in tears.

“Go!” Coran said. Both Keith and Ji-hun sprung into action. Pidge was just watching with wide eyes.

“This is just like the Super Samurai Anime!” they gasped.

“Is not!” Matt said.

“Kids, not now!” Sam Holt said.

“Keith held back when he tried to escape,” Hunk said after a vicious blow sent Ji-hun stumbling.

“Only because he has the cheat of being an alien,” Lance muttered.

“You don’t have any problems with Allura,” Shiro said, “Ji-hun must have fought Galra before.”

“Kind of hard not to when they’re out conquering the Known Universe,” Lance said.

Keith barely blocked a kick Ji-hun had sent at him and was forced to bend out of the way of a slice that would have slashed some of his fur off, had that been an actual blade. Keith lashed out with a kick but it was anticipated and Ji-hun managed to pin him.

“Never assume your strength means you’ll win,” Ji-hun said. He let Keith up who nodded.

“You’re going to have to teach me that,” Keith said.

“Of course.” It was difficult for Keith to look at Ji-hun not only because he was still having trouble getting used to the fact he wasn’t an orphan at all, but because Ji-hun’s face reminded him of the life he no longer had.

———————————————————————————————————————————————

Keith found a photo of the team a short time before the Wormhole had split them up. He almost didn’t recognize his past self. Less than half a year he’d been like this and he was forgetting his old face. Who would he be in a year? Two years? More? Would he even remember what it was like to be…well not exactly human but to be less Galra: to be at human limits? Keith gripped the edges of the sink as he looked down before he was forced to let go when he heard worrying groans in the metal.

“You alright in there?” Keith exited the bathroom and saw his father was sitting on his bed.

“I….don’t know,” Keith said.

“Looking at you right now, I’m reminded of your mother,” Ji-hun said. Keith snorted.

“Cut the attitude; it’s not a bad thing,” Ji-hun gave him a look.

“Yes, Appa,” Keith said. Even after eleven years apart, his reflexive response of “Yes, Appa.” was still as close to the surface as ever.

“I get it. The…others filled me in on what was done to you, though, your hair in the photos they showed me was darker,” Ji-hun said.

“I think…one of my-my uncles might have been behind that. The Druid. He…wasn’t a fan of the druid who did this to me. Called her work “sloppy” and her a “butcher.” He’d mentioned mistakes in my genome she’d made,” Keith said remembering the hazy memory of Malior just before he’d locked Keith’s memories away.

“It’s alright to love them, you know,” Ji-hun said.

“Wh-What?”

“My Uncle lied to me, left you to die, and even though I’m pissed off at him for costing me eleven years of your life, he’s still my Uncle and I still care about him,” Ji-hun said, “I’m probably not going to speak to him again until he apologizes, though.”

“But they didn’t love me. They loved the idea,” Keith said.

“Doubtful. You really don’t understand Galra culture. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, Galra love their families. That’s why your mother could never bring herself to open rebellion. Even though her mother is a staunch loyalist and complicit in many crimes against nature and sentient beings, she still loves her and her other siblings. Honestly, we should still be on the move because of how possessive Galra tend to be when it comes to their family members. _Especially_ their cubs.” That was when the alarm was set off.

“Intruder in the Castleship!” Coran’s voice came over the frequency. Keith and Ji-hun burst out, Keith had his bayard in hand as he ran to follow the sounds of the commotion.

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Keith arrived to see Lance and Hunk and already been taken out by this dual wielding intruder. He smelled Galran. Keith narrowed his eyes and stood ready for the attacker who nodded before engaging Keith. He was outmatched by he gave his all. That’s when Ji-hun leapt over him, blades drawn and engaged the intruder and Keith who staggered up realized that his dad had seriously held back. The fight ended once Shiro joined and the combatant backed off. He removed his helmet and Shiro gasped.

“Who are you?” Shiro demanded.

“I’m Ulaz of the Blade of Marmorra.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————

“So, let me get this straight, you helped Shiro escape, this Blade group is separate from whatever group _his_ mom was part of, but you guys occasionally help them because you have the same goals, but you don’t let on that you’re helping them?” Lance said.

“That is correct. The Rebellion Cells are far too fractious to trust but time is no longer on our side,” Ulaz said.

“Project Phantom Zone,” Keith said.

“Precisely,” Ulaz said.

‘What’s project Phantom Zone?” Hunk asked.

“It’s not a projector that banishes people to another realm, is it?” Pidge asked.

“No! that would be barbaric even for the Galran Empire,” Ulaz said.

“It’s their code name for the knock-off Voltron Night Lion was part of,” Keith said.

“How do you know that?” Lance asked.

“It was in the manual.” Keith shrugged at Lance.

“I thought human males never read manuals for anything,” Sam Holt said.

“Not exactly human anymore, am I?” Keith said.

“You never were, really,” Ji-hun replied, “Well, maybe a quarter.”

“Anyway, how do we know we can trust him when Shiro barely remembers him?” Hunk said.

“We already know not all Galra are bad,” Keith said.

“Fine, but it’ll be a lot of faith we’re using,” Allura said.

—————————————————————————————————————————————

_Twyla was surprised by her summons by her father, but that was mostly because, unless it had to do with her cub, her work was not his priority._

_“I understand these times are trying for you. It is never easy to be bereft of a cub,” Zarkon said placing a hand on her shoulder for comfort._

_“It’s easier if I’m working on something,” Twyla said. Her acting was excellent: her tone was dead and she wasn’t shuddering at the touch of a genocidal maniac._

_“Perhaps I can help you channel your pain and work towards rescuing the cub,” Zarkon said._

_“F-father?” Twyla looked up at him startled._

_“No ordinary pilot can handle a prototype as raw as Night Lion, which is why I entrust this honor to you. The hopes and dreams of the future of Galran supremacy rest in what you do with this Lion. I know you will do me proud.”_

_“Of course I will,” Twyla replied._

—————————————————————————————————————————————

_“Terra! You’re dead!”_

_“Wha?” Terra was buried, literally, in metal scraps._

_“How dare you volunteer me for this!” Twyla yelled._

_“Keep the roaring down to just barely deafening, thanks.”_

_“Zari.”_

_“With you at the helm for Project Phantom Zone, things can go according to plan,” Zari said._

_“Plan—you son of a—.”_

_“Hey! If you’re gonna fight, you’re gonna do it else where. Now both of you get out of my lab!”_

_“We’re sending Herra in soon, aren’t we?” Twyla asked Zari once they left._

_“She’s already on the way with Merra as back-up,” Zari said._

_“You really think I’m good enough?” Twyla said._

_“Of course. Also, your temperament is the most like your cub’s so, whatever proto-sentience is there will accept you.”_

_“You’re the hind quarters of a Garultinas!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello,  
> Late again and also due to life happening. This time it was tagging along to make sure my dad made it back safe and sound as a back up driver.  
> Also, I apologize for the lack of beta-ing this has. I actually don't have a beta, but I usually do a comb through of my own work to catch bugs but it's after 3 AM and the fic is late enough as it is.
> 
> Yep. Twyla was always who I had in mind for Night Lion (though, this was sort of spoiled for anyone who read the one shot set in a direct parallel universe I also have posted on here).  
> From here on out, I will be working Season 2 elements into this fic, only where S2 had the possibility for more, I'm going to end it. Hence, there will be seven more chapters of _Lab Rat_ before it's finished.  
>  The end is in sight.  
> It's been one hell of a ride with seven chapters still ahead.


	8. Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No matter where they run, the Empire finds them.

Everyone was doing their thing.

Hunk had baked….cookies of questionable hardness. Pidge was attempting to learn Altean from a rather….scary hologram. The Holt men and Ji-hun were poking at something that looked like a mess of wires. They’d had to worm hole away from the Galra twice, so trying to relax was the order of the moment

Until the Galra attacked. The Paladins rushed to their battle stations leaving the Holt men and Ji-hun to take cover elsewhere in the ship.

“Deploy the drones,” Allura ordered. Keith and Lance clashed a little.

“Get out of my way!”

“No, you get our of _my_ way!”

“Enough!” Shiro yelled.

“We can worm hole!” Allura said. She punched it and they made it through.

“They keep finding us. How?” Lance looked at Keith.

“Why are you looking at me?” Keith growled.

“Probably because your mom’s family is insane and they happen to be the would be rulers of the universe?” Lance said.

“They’re not tracking Keith,” Ji-hun said arriving in the cockpit.

“How do you know that?” Hunk asked, “Couldn’t a druid find him or something?”

“If I wasn’t with him, maybe,” Ji-hun said.

“Really?” Keith said.

“Trick I learned from the other Iyruians, but it only really works with blood relatives,” Ji-hun said.

“Uh-huh, so, can only Iyurians do this or can others learn how to do it?” Pidge asked.

“I’m sure that the Princess could pick it up,” Ji-hun said. He took a step and slipped in something. Keith barely caught him. The liquid trail led to Coran.

“Are you sweating?” Hunk asked.

“Nah, I’m just fine,” Coran said.

“Are you sure, it looks like you’ve got a case of the sliperies,” Allura said.

“I do not! The Slipperies is an old person’s disease!” Coran crossed his arms and splashed at the other Paladins who dodged back. Ji-hun raised an eyebrow.

“Why don’t we go take a look at things,” Ji-hun said, “Pidge, want to join us?”

————————————————————————————————————————————————

“….He threw us out whenever we pointed mentioned the Slipperies again,” Pidge said once everyone was back on the bridge. The Holts and Ji-Hun were in a heap in the back from not finding a set in time. Lance was in swim trunks, and soaking wet. Keith was also sopping wet, and becuase he was covered in fur, he made a trail of water to his part of the command center. Their warp had been…aborted. That’ s when Coran combed up,

“Found out problem! Turns out the teledov’s lenses are cracked. Also, I might actually have the slipperies," Coran said as he skated about.

“Do we have any spare sculltrite?” Ji-hun asked standing.

“‘Fraid not,” Coran said. Pidge rubbed their jaw.

“I saw that word earlier!”

————————————————————————————————————————————————

“Hunk’s cookies?” Matt asked. Coran inspected the disks.

“Not quite right, but they can work!” Coran said. Ji-hun gave him an arched eyebrow.

————————————————————————————————————————————————

“Now don’t move or the lasers will definitely kill you,” Coran said after he’d arranged the disks. Everyone was in position, even the Holts and Ji-hun.

“What!” Lance said.

“Everyone ready?” Allura asked from the deck.

“Ready!” Coran said. That was when he noticed the disks weren’t quite shiny enough. How could he—oh! Coran skated through and at the last few moments managed to use his slipperies to make the temporary disks shiny enough for the laser and just managed to get out of the way for the lasers and they finally made it safely away from Zarkon and his forces. Barely.

————————————————————————————————————————————————

_“They managed to fix whatever problem it was that was ending their warps prematurely,” Zari remarked as he looked over the data recovered from the main fleet. Being part of Project Phantom Zone, they were to drill as much as possible._

_“If I had to guess, their lenses are cracked in their teledov,” Twyla said looking things over._

_“That means they’re going to need sculltrite. Hope they can buy it. I’d hate to see what would happen if they went up against a weblum,” Sinecline said._

_“Like you’ve ever done it.”_

_“Actually, baby sis, I have,” Sinecline said._

_“Let me guess, it was a dare from Lotor?” Twyla asked._

_“Actually it was me,” Zari replied._

_“Zari? Wow, you think you know a guy,” she said._

_“Keep it up and I’ll regret making you Night Lion.”_

_“You have no choice. It bonded to me because of my cub.”_

_“It’s not that advanced yet.” Terra had arrived, “If I’m going to have a hope of making it better, I’m going to need better data on Voltron.”_

_“I’ll see what I can do,” Sinecline said before nodding to the others._

————————————————————————————————————————————————

Keith looked out the view port. Had they found them because of him, or was his father really shielding him.

 _You have an Aunt and an Uncle who are Druids as well as you grandmother_ a nasty voice reminded him and just because he was sort of sure the one was a rebel, meant nothing if the others were after him too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's so short. It's been a while since I've seen the episode and I don't have a Nextflix anymore.


	9. Space Mall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Voltron goes to the mall!  
> This time with even more adult supervision, but somehow, that doesn't help matters.

“Don’t suppose you know of any Iyurian tricks for fixing cracked scaultrite?” Coran asked Ji-hun as he inspected the discs.

“No. Afraid that’s a myth. We’re _metal_ workers, we don’t mess with scaultrite,” he said.

“So, we’re screwed if we want to use the teledov?” Lance was leaning on a nearby control unit. The rest of Voltron was upstairs in the common room, but Lance was bored and followed Ji-hun and Coran down there.

“Perhaps a traders moon?” Coran said. Ji-hun burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny about that?” Coran asked.

“Those are nothing more than glorified malls. I mean, there might be an antique store there, but it would be the minority,” Ji-hun explained wiping away a tear.

“There are space malls?” Lance asked.

“Why wouldn’t there be?” Ji-hun said. In that moment he really looked like Keith with that semi-confused look on his face.

“I’ve gotta go tell the others!” Lance raced off leaving the adults to blink at the speed he displayed.

“Are malls a big deal on Earth?” Coran asked.

“Sort of, if you’re into that sort of thing. Perhaps a bit of normality, even if it’s full of space culture, is what they need,” Ji-hun said.

—————————————————————————————————————————————

“I’m going to bond with Black,” Shiro said once the Mall trip was organized. Ji-hun, Coran, and Sam Holt were the official Chaperones for this trip. Matt wasn’t an adult-y enough adult to count.

“Alright,” Ji-hun said.

“We’ll need to dress the part!” Coran said. He was wearing a ridiculous outfit. Ji-hun laughed again.

“No. What we have is fine. A bit old fashioned, but retro is cool in space too,” Ji-hun said waving off the outlandish things Coran was wearing.

“Can’t this be retro cool too,” he pouted.

“Sure, loose the eye patch.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————

“How did we already loose the kids?” Ji-hun asked Sam as they walked around the space mall, calmly.

“Beats me, but if I had to guess, my kids found the nearest game store,” Sam said.

“Keith probably found the nearest blade store,” Ji-hun mused.

“Hunk and Lance?” Sam asked.

“I thought I saw a yellow blur go that way, but Lance might have gone with Matt and Pidge,” Ji-hun said.

“Halt!” Ji-hun turned to see it was a Mall Cop Galra.

“Hello,” Ji-hun said.

“Did you lose some sub-adults?” the Galra demanded.

“We did, but they are nearly mature sub-adults. We’re thinking they would know better than to cause trouble,” Sam said.

“Dad!”

“Dad! Dad!” Matt and Pidge came racing over.

“Mr. Holt!”

“See, three have already returned to us,” Ji-hun said gesturing to the Holts and Lance. The Galra mall cop looked at them before zooming away on his hover Segway.

“They have a Mercury console here. A Mercury!” Pidge said. They were really excited.

“We need money to buy it!” Matt said. They all looked at Ji-hun.

“What?”

“You’re the alien,” Pidge said.

“Right, and you think I have GAC on me? Me, an Iyurian?” Ji-hun said.

“Probably,” Matt said.

“I don’t. Coran has all the currency and we lost him after we lost all of you,” Ji-hun said shrugging.

“Aw man!” Lance said. They all slumped away.

“But you do have currency,” Sam said once they were out of earshot.

“It’s Xandarian Credits. Those are no good here,” Ji-hun said.

“Oh.”

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Keith had been watching the knife expert and noticed that while there had been some sort of Galra mall cop zip past him, there weren’t many Galra in the mall. He felt like he stuck out like a sore thumb.

“Hey, cub. Aren’t ya a little young to not be in school right now?” Keith turned to see it was the mall cop.

“I’m here with my dad,” Keith said.

“I don’t smell any other Galra like you,” the mall cop said. Crap, he was a Jungle Galra like Keith.

“Adopted. He’s Iyurian. He knew my parents and took me in after they died,” Keith said. He was a shit liar.

“Sure and my name isn’t Varkon,” he said.

“Is it?” Keith asked.

“It is!”

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Lance, Matt, and Pidge were digging through the fountain for coins after getting the idea from seeing an alien toss coins into it like earthlings usually do.

“We almost have enough, just 5 more!” Pidge said looking up from their pile to Matt.

“Where’s Lance?” Matt asked. Lance burst from the water catching a 5 coin in his teeth like a dolphin and they just blink at him, but it was what they needed.

“Let’s go get the Mercury console!” Pidge said.

“Yeah!” the guys cheered.

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Hunk’s accidental sampling of food had lead to the best day ever for Sal of Veript Sal’s. He’d never been this popular! Hunk was a goldmine of a find!

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Keith was trying to outrun the mall cop Varkon. Damn it! When was he going to learn that Galra take kids’ safety seriously!

“ _Gotta go_!” he yelled running past Ji-hun in Japanese.

“You! You kidnappers!”

“Crap,” Ji-hun said, “He thinks I kidnapped my own kid!” Sam looked at the guard and they bolted after Keith.

—————————————————————————————————————————————

The alien at the Area 51 store looked nervous when the mall cop began to chase Keith, Ji-hun, and Sam.

“Here, comes with a free Kattlenecker!” he said.

“Sweet!” Lance said taking the lead for the hover cow.

—————————————————————————————————————————————

“Hop on!” Keith looked up at the hovering Lance, Matt, and Pidge. He leapt on behind Lance while the older men simply grabbed onto an edge. Hunk ran out joining them.

“Guys! I’ve got the Scualtrite!” Coran caught up to them, catching a ride off into the…well not sunset but it was the end of an adventure, where Lance smacked his head on the way out.

—————————————————————————————————————————————

_“Where did you get this footage?” Twyla asked rewinding it to the cow soaring over the mall goers to the exit._

_“Some swap moon mall,” Sinecline said, “I made sure that the mall cop, Varkon, thought it reached Father, but instead I flagged it as just another false sighting. I thought you might get a kick out of seeing this.”_

_“This is comedic_ **_gold_ ** _!” Twyla pressed play again and laughed at the poor hapless mall cop._

_“I already paid for the damages,” Sinecline said._

_“Good, and get that guy an acting job! He’d be a great comedian!” Twyla said._

_“Really?”_

_“No.”_


	10. 10: Edge of Advance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving forwards, the Paladins and company interact with The Blades and begin to form their Coalition with the freeing of the Olkari  
> \--------------------------  
> An experimental chapter (one of two)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, You'll notice the Author's Note chapter has been deleted. That's something I always planned on doing.  
> This chapter is experimental (one of two such like this). See the after note for why.

* * *

 

****“We’re at the coordinate Ulaz provided,” Coran stated. Ji-hun stared at the pair of black holes in slight awe.

“The base is in between them, and there appear to only be a few safe paths down that collapse every few quintams,” Coran remarked. A face appeared on the screen.

“Greetings we are the Paladins of Voltron. We were told to seek out your organzation by Ulaz,” Shiro said.

“I am Kolivan. I see you have Princess Twyla’s offspring with you. Can you be certain you can trust the blood of Zarkon?” Kolivan asked. Keith bristled a little.

“He might be galra, and he might be related to Zarkon, but I know Keith would never betray us,” Coran said. Allura nodded.

“You must trust her a little since she worked with rebels like you did,” Keith said.

“True. Her rebel factions and our order have had goals align, but her factions were always too flashy for any…longer term alliances to last,” Kolivan replied, “This is no way to conduct negotiations. You are cleared to come down to the base but only your leader and one other may come and leave all weapons—ceremonial or not—behind.”

——————————————————————————————

Ji-hun watched as the red lion was maneuvered down the narrow path of safety.

“Keith’s the best pilot I’ve ever seen, I’m sure he’ll be right as a weblum in an asteroid field!” Coran said.

“So long as we don’t see any of those up close,” Ji-hun said.

“Since there are many different rebel groups, think there are any Iyurian ones?” Matt asked.

“Of course there are. We make the best blades in the known universe,” Ji-hun said.

“So, did you make the Blades of Marmorra’s weapons too?” Pidge asked. Ji-hun nodded.

“Not me personally but the working of luxite is an exclusively Iyurian craft. Even Keith’s crest blade is Luxite,” Ji-hun stated.

“What makes that so special?” Hunk asked.

“IF certain things are met, it can sort of change shape like a bayard but only on a particular way,” Ji-hun explained.

“So….does that mean Keith’s crest thinga-ma-jig can also change shape?” Lance said.

“Yes.”

“No fair!” Ji-hun placed a hand on his chin for a few moments.

“Princess, correct me if I’m wrong but don’t barnyards change when the paladins need them to?” He asked.

“Whenever they’ve fully gotten into their roles, they are supposed to do so,” Allura replied.

“What, really! So I could go from a gun to cool sword or something? Not that I’d want a sword…,” Lance coughed to hide his excitement.

“If that’s what suited your needs, yes,” Ji-hun said with a laugh.

“Perhaps, while we wait for Shiro to negotiate with these Blades, you should all work on manifesting changes in your bayards,” Coran suggested. Hunk gulped a little.

“My pleasure,” Ji-hun said with a smirk.

“Man you are _so_ Keith’s dad,” Lance moaned.

——————————————————————————————

Keith and Shiro arrived back to see the other paladins exhausted.

“What happened here?” Keith asked.

“You don’t wanna know man,” Hunk groaned.

“We actually wore out the Iyuiran energizer bunny, though,” Pidge said as they draped an arm over their face.

“I think we are better off not knowing then. Wanna spar?” Shiro asked.

“Sure!” Keith said.

———————————————————————————————

“Spores sending out an S-O-S? That’s so unbelievably cool!” Pidge exclaimed as they examined the space spore’s signal.

“Olkarian then,” Ji-hun said.

“I recall they were one of the most advanced races in the universe!” Coran said. Pidge’s eyes lit up.

“Oh, they still are but they’ve gone more technorganic as of late no thanks to the empire,” Ji-hun said.

“Technorganic?” Ji-hun looked over at the slightly crushed faces of Hunk and Pidge.

“Don’t be like that. It’s much cooler than you’d think. Hey, Coran, isn’t the Green Paladin supposed to be the Guardian of Nature or something?” Ji-hun looked over at Coran.

“Right on!”

“Nah. I prefer my nature on the other side of a window or indoors,” Pidge said.

“Give it a chance,” Ji-hun replied.

“Fine.”

———————————————————————————————

“I did see that right?” Ji-hun asked Coran as they witnessed Pidge’s plant beam take apart the cube.

“You did indeed,” Coran said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a two episode/drabble-ish chapter. It's a little experimental and short but I would rather expend my energy on the final chapter than just transcribing episodes of Season 2 and adding extra dialogue. It would be redundant and honestly, I don't want to do the other way.  
> Re-writing episodes with minute changes is a drain on the creative process so I decided I really wouldn't. I will, however put extra effort into the last chapter: Reckoning. So. Enjoy Chapter 10 for now and I'll be back in a couple weeks with Chapter 11.


	11. Plans and Gathering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second of two more experimental chapters  
> \-----------------------------------------  
> Team Voltron has a plan, but in order to get that plan in motion for their newly formed alliances, some assembly and pieces are required.

“Still insane we have a whole force joining us and now we have to go into a weblum after sculltrite!” Hunk exclaimed. Keith and Ji-hun gave him a sort of “look.” Hunk coughed.

“So…Coran gave us an instructional video—.”

“Don’t need it,” Ji-hun said.

“But we’ve never even seen a weblum!” Hunk whined.

“You two might not have, but Coran wasn’t entirely wrong in asking me about sculltrite once,” Ji-hun explained as he pulled up a picture of one on the screen. Hunk paled and Keith narrowed his eyes at it.

“Weblums eat the remains of planets, and their digestive tracks produce the sculltrite needed for teledovs and other technology but this also is part of their primary defense’s processes too. They’re living mining drills,” Ji-hun pointed to a display of one spitting energy beams.

“We’ll have to get in through a vent hole on its head. I’ll pilot the ship and draw its fire. You two will get in, go through it’s digestive track without ending up in it’s actual stomach following a sort of straight path through it, and get what we need. Once done, there will likely be bowel or some sort of other exit-valve in that segment to escape from the Weblum. Don’t be too surprised if you find a ship in there. Weblums have been known to eat those.”

———————————————————————————————

Keith spotted the Galran vessel and didn’t hesitate to help the Galra trapped inside. The helmet was reflective but there was something familiar about this Galra. Hunk wandered on ahead.

“Who are you,” Keith asked in Galran.

“Little Ki’eth, you look so much better in that than our colors.”

“Uncle Sinecline?” Keith gasped.

“Be a good little nephew and not tell your human friend about me? I’m undercover,” Sinecline stated.

“Fine,” Keith said after a moment.

———————————————————————————————

“I can’t believe that guy stole sculltrite from us!” Hunk moaned.

“I wonder what he was using it for,” Keith said.

“Probably nothing good because he looked like he was totally empire,” Hunk said.

“There are many uses for sculltrite and most of them are not good,” Ji-hun added.

“Hope that being a better person doesn’t come back to bite us in the butts,” Hunk looked out the side viewport. Keith just looked down.

———————————————————————————————

_Meanwhile on Betatraz during the mission to rescue Slav……_

“I’m just the comic relief.”

“Yup.”

“Geeze, you can’t even try to cheer me up?” Lance looked over at whom he taught was Slav and it just “Yup” at him again.

———————————————————————————————

“Lance, that’s not Slav! That’s a Yupper!”

“Oh,” Lance said.

“Get down!” Pidge tackled Lance out of the way of the angry warden.

“Lance, take aim at that!” Shiro pointed at a panel above them.

“On it!” Lance took it out with precision.

“Great work. That’s why we brought our sharpshooter!” Shiro said. Of course Slav didn’t help matters.

“Let’s get off Betatraz,” Pidge said facepalming over the fact the little alien had managed to flap the unflappable Shiro.

———————————————————————————————

Ji-hun had gotten more used to just sitting back and watching as the plan came together. The teledov (and it’s gravity distorter) were being working on by Slav and the Olkari. The Paladins were planning on infiltrating Zarkon’s ship to disable it. And he…

“You alright?” Sam Holt offered him some coffee.

“Just worried. This is all going too well,” Ji-hun took the glass. No mugs on the Castle of Lions, sadly.

“I know what you mean, but I have faith that this has to work,” Sam Holt replied.

“To end Zarkon’s Tyranny once and for all. That’s something the Iyurians would drink to,” Ji-hun said.

“Aren’t a group of your people helping the Olkari?” Sam asked.

“Probably.” Ji-hun downed the coffee handing the glass back to Sam.

“You know if she is in the battle, she’ll have to pretend to be on his side,” Sam said. Ji-hun gave him a look.

“I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, right as promised. Technically, it's not a full two weeks but who's counting right?  
> Following this will be the final chapter of this whole fic: Reckoning.  
> There may or may not be a final Epilogue One Shot...All depends on how I'm feeling after I get Reckoning finished (it's nearly done btw I just need to fully flesh out one last section).  
> Again, this was a short-sketch like chapter because I hate re-writing actual show episodes. It's so....bland at times and makes it hard for me to be creative. I know there are those who do this sort of thing well, and more power to them. Me....not so much.  
> Thanks for sticking with me. Just wait a little bit longer and soon, this AU will come to a close.


	12. Reckoning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all comes to a head. The Alliance. The Empire. The Children of Zarkon, and the Paladins of Voltron.  
> It all ends in one last battle.

Twyla looked over the other “lions” her sister had made. They looked like different big cats than lions, if she was honest.

“I know what you’re thinking and you are correct! They’re not all lions!” Terra said as she gestured at the assembled beasts.

She gestured at the slightly bulky blood-orange colored feline, “That is Dawn Panther.”

“Who will be paired with it?” Twyla asked.

“Because trust is essential to form Phantom Zone, I’ve selected those people you trust most in the empire!”

“Meaning?” Twyla asked.

“Merra. It’s Merra. That lovely periwinkle beast is the Noon Cougar and Zaerif gets to pilot it. That yellow-orange creation is the Dusk Tiger and Arlioth will be its pilot,” Terra indicated the next two, though the yellow orange one had reddish-brown stripes as well.

“But Arlioth can’t fly in a straight line!” Twyla complained.

“So what? The AI will compensate! Neera gets the teal one the Morning Cheetah!” Terra said.

“You seriously made the other four in your favorite colors because you could, didn’t you?” Twyla said.

“Why not? You can’t tell me that King Alfor of Altea making a lion that particular shade of Red was a coincidence,” Terra replied.

“Point taken. Too bad you weren’t born in Sinecline’s place, you’d have been able to meet Alfor,” Twyla said.

“I know,” Terra said quietly.

“I’ve intercepted the Blades of Marmorra and the Voltron Alliance’s communications. They intend to lure father into a trap where they will teledov him away from the main fleet,” Sinecline said as he entered, “I also laid eyes on Keith. He’s fine, despite going into a Weblum after sculltrite.”

“He did **_what_.** ”

“Calm yourself, Twy. I had everything under control. Though I had to steal a bag of scultrite to keep suspicions off me,” Sinecline said.

“How are we working this?” Twyla asked.

\------------------------------------------------------------- —————————————————

Twyla was prepping Night Lion for the fight she knew was coming.

“The Paladins are on the ship.”

“Ahhh! _Comriactain!_ Sinecline, what have I told you about sneaking up on me while I’m working!” Twyla whirled around to face her brother, fur bushed a little.

“Though you’d like to know those allies of yours are also on board, so be prepared to fight those as well,” Sinecline said as he walked away.

“And where the infrinn do you think you’re going now!” Twyla yelled.

“Everyone has to get into position. You’ll probably be launching as soon as Voltron’s paladins do whatever it is they are doing,” Sinecline said. _What does he even mean by that—_. An explosion shook the floor of the hanger.

“Intruder alert!”

“Oh. That.”

“We’re on our way to the ships!” Merra’s voice came from a nearby com unit.

“I haven’t finished prep yet!” Twyla yelled.

“Work on Arlioth’s. The rest of us can handle ours,” Neera’s voice said.

“Fine. Any idea of where the other Paladins are?” Twyla asked.

“So far reports of all but the Red one escaping have come in.”

“Just like your cub to drive up the suspense, right Twy?” Arlioth chimed in.

“Just shut up and get here!”

——————————————————————————

_Depths of the ship near the engine…._

“It was an honor to fight with you,” Keith said to Thace.

“As it was mine, Paladin, now go.”

——————————————————————————————————

“Is he out yet?” Twyla asked for the fifteenth time.

“Not yet. Terra still reports his readings on the main ship,” Zaerif calmly replied. Twlya drummed her fingers on the joysticks of Night Lion as more time passed, just before the teledov was exposed.

“Well _comriactain_.” Arlioth said it, but Twyla _felt_ it.

_Hurry Ki’eth._  

_“Project Phantom Zone, deploy!”_ Zarkon’s voice boomed over the hanger.

“Veript Sa,” Twyla replied.

“We’re getting the readings. Remember, only put up a token fight against Voltron. Until they warp the ship away, do not reveal your truth,” Terra said.

“On it!” 

 

Twyla notices the red lion flying on its own and she smiled. 

“Form up, Project Phantom Zone!”

 

Keith saw the five cat shaped robots appear and for a moment he was stunned by the false Voltron’s appearances but they formed up into their less humanoid combined form. It was more feral looking than Voltron. Less refined.

“We are Taibhse, Voltron,” Twyla said.

 

“Stick to the plan. Attack!” Shiro yelled. The engament was slow but the teledov activated at last, as the lights went out on Zarkon’s ship.

“I’ve never seen one that big,” Merra gasped as she took in the wormhole.

“That’s what she said.” Arlioth blinked at the chorus of voices from the other three with him.

“Too predictable,” Zaerif said.

“You’re no fun,” he pouted.

“Enough, Taibhse, let’s follow the castle and the lions before we miss out on the real fight. Zari, take care of the rest!” Twyla yelled.

“With pleasure,” Zari replied before he lost contact with the Taibhse.

They arrived to see Voltron formed.

_“Take them on, now!”_ Zarkon snarled. Twyla rolled her eyes and her hand hovered right above her broadcast button but something else broadcast instead. Or, rather, _someone_ else.

“Sinecline?”Behind him were destroyed robots and a beaten up Lotor.

“Sorry, but no more shall we support this. Arriora. Malior. The Witch is yours.”

“You dare turn on me? I gave you everything!” Zarkon yelled.

“My father did. You just wear his face!” Sinecline retorted. Sounds from behind him had him turn just to face an onslaught of living goons. A slash to the receiver cut off his message.

 

“Taibhse, form laser sword!” Twyla ordered. It appeared in purple light.

“Looking good for a cheap knock off!” Lance commented.

“Well let My sister Terra know that “cheap” was the aesthetic this several billion dollar GAC project gives off,” Merra said.

“B-billion?” Hunk stammered.

“Zarkon wanted the next best thing to Voltron, so, money to make these wasn’t an issue,” Zaerifsaid.

“Energy spike from the ship!” Zaerif yelled.

——————————————————————

_Haggar heard the commotion and saw two of the other treacherous spawn of Zarkon had caught up to her and her druids as they approached the komar._

_“Malior. Here I thought you were a better son than your brother and sister turned out to be,” Haggar sneered._

_“Vile witch, you poisoned your self and then him with your tainted power!” Malior yelled. He threw a blast at her but a druid blocked him._

_“You two aren’t worth my time,” Haggar turned and waved to four of the group._

_“The rest of you are more than adequate. Dispose of them and join us when possible,” she ordered._

\----------------------------------------------------------------

“Paladins, come in, are you all alright?” Allura asked.

“We’re alive princess but Voltron’s not responding,” Shiro said.

“Shouldn’t all the weapons be down?” Coran asked.

“That’s no weapon, it’s magic. It’s like something pulled the quintessence out,” Allura mused.

“It’s the Komar,” Kolivan and Twyla chimed in.

“Sorry. Quitessence sucker. Should have known it was real,” Twyla said.

“As the princess so indelicately put it, yes,” Kolivan said.

“We’ll hold off any attacks to buy you time, you have our word,” Zaerif said.

“Bold talk for the right leg,” Neera said.

“Not the time Neera,” Merra said.

 

“Um, what’s that?” Pidge asked. Taibhse’s crew gasped as the mecha Zarkon appeared.

“That….was not part of the plan,” Twyla said.

“No _focca_ ,” Neera said.

“The readings indicate we’re well and truly up the focca starlane without backup power,” Zaerif replied.

“We’ll leave you to this, Voltron, we’ll help but we have lower limits,” Twyla said.

“We’ll take whatever we can get,” Shiro said.

“Don’t die,” Keith said.

“Likewise.”

 

“Taibhse, be advised we are joining the fray!” Allura said.

“What, but that thing—.”

“We have more fire power than you do at the moment!” Allura yelled.

“You heard her,” Neera said.

“You’re right,” Twyla said. They twirled away and took up a defensive position around Voltron.

“Listen to me. You are true paladins now. Reach out to your lions. Connect with each other. Fight. This cannot end now!”

The castle ship let out the massive blue beam right at the Zarkon mecha.

“What the ifrinn!” Arlioth yelled.

“Amazing,” Neera said.

“You said it,” Merra replied. Twyla gasped as the shield of wings formed and the beam.

“Barrel roll, now!” They barely avoided the deflected beam from Zarkon’s counter.

“Castle of Lions! Do you read!” Twyla yelled as Shiro yelled,

“Allura!”

 

Zarkon turned his attention on them. It felt like he was staring right at them.

“Get ready. He intends to take us out in one blow. We cannot let him take us down,” Twyla said. Zarkon’s mecha was fast, faster than Taibhse, but not quit as agile as the smaller machine. With a twist they barely avoided death by the Zarkon Mecha’s laser sword. A second strike nearly got them but,

“Looks like you needed help,” Shiro said. Voltron’s sword had save their life.

“We’ll make it even soon,” Twyla replied as they got clear.

“Hey, drones are out,” Neera said.

“Paladins, We’ve got the small fry.” Merra says.

“Take him out. For all of us,” Twyla yells.

———————————————————————————

Arriora held her side, pinkish blood stained her robes. Malior panted and offered her a slightly smoking hand. The last of the six they’d faced lay smoldering before them.

“We need to stop the komar from being used twice,” Arriora said.

“We will.” Arriora’s eyes were drawn to the nearest view port where Voltron avoided another komar blast and Zarkon took a slightly cheap shot kicking them and then Taibhse took an ever cheaper shot at Zarkon, pile driving the mechanic.

 

Malior blew open the door to the Komar chamber, and they were promptly blasted by one of the four druids floating around Haggar.

“Shame. You’re still here.” Haggar yelled. Malior moved to do something but movement caught his eyes and he turned his head to see the discarded space-hand speeder get crashed into her hover platform. This put an end to her magic’s proliferation in the komar and the remnants of the ship. It was t he Blades or Marmorra and Princess Allura. The blade with a tail, Antok, looked to Malior.

“Get your sister and run.” Malior nodded before he looked back.

“The witch isn’t like the average druid,” Malior cautioned as he used his remaining power to shield himself and Arriora as they fled the line of fire and seemingly the fight.

“Wait. We need to stay.”

 

The druids and their magic were—at first— more than a match for the blades of Marmorra. Especially whenever Haggar backed her minions up, blasting the armor clad Galra rebels. However, that’s whenever Allura managed to get into the fray. The Altean Princess trading even blows with Zarkon’s witch, until a blast revealed Haggar’s true face.

“You’re _Altean?_ ” Allura gasped at the revealed marks on her face. Haggar merely snarled and threw herself back into the fight but, Allura took her best shots, absorbed the magic and sent it right back at her and then some, taking her down, and the light went out all around them in the komar. It was finally offline. Before the Witch could move, a blaster bolt nailed her right through the forehead. The blades and Allura followed its trajectory to see the heavily bleeding Arriora was holding the smoking blaster.

“That’s the end of you…witch.” Her eyes rolled up into her head as Malior struggled to stabilize her.

“You were supposed to have left,” Allura said.

“Arriora did the universe a _favor_. You don’t know the depths of her depravity,” Malior said.

“We need to get out of here,” A Blade said to Allura.

“Come with us,” Allura offered to Malior and Arriora. He shrugged and nodded.

——————————————————————— ——— ————————

Twyla grit her teeth as she watched the main battle from the sidelines practically. There wasn’t much Taibhse could do to that _thing_ Zarkon managed to have whipped up even under Terra’s nose!

“Twy, something’s wrong with Voltron’s readings!” Zaerif yelled. Twylabarely saw what was being pointed out to her the moments before Voltron inexplicably broke apart.

“We cannot let him get the head. Taibhse, time to break apart and protect the Black Lion!” Twyla pressed the command in her console, which initiated their break down.

——————————————————————— ——— ————————

_Shiro faced down the would be galactic tyrant and felt the Black Lion make her choice and it was_ **_not_ ** _Zarkon after they clashed._

_In reality he blinked and looked down._

_“Guys, I have the black bayard.”_

——————————————————————— ——— ————————

Twyla let out a sigh of relief whenever she saw Voltron reform.

“Form up!” Taibhse reformed and stood at the ready, but Voltron’s final attack destroyed that machine effectively winning the day.

“Twyla, we’re forming our blaster canon, now!” Zaerif barked.

“What? Why?” Twyla asked.

“Just do it!” Zaerif yelled. Twyla did so and soon Zaerif had control of it and blasted all that remained into atomized particles.

“Voltron to Taibhse _What the Quiznak was that!_ ” Lance’s commincation came.

“Castle of Lions chiming in as well, and I’d also like to know!” Coran asked.

“Don’t you know that the stupid witch, if she’s still alive, could reanimate him?”Zaerif replied.

“That’s news to me,” Twyla said.

“How do you think he’s immortal without the anti-aging serum the rest of us take?” Merra chimed in.

“Oh.”

“I require back-up!” Sinelcine’s message rang out.

“Voltron, we leave the rest out here to you. For now, we’ve got an empire to dismantle from the inside.”

Taibhse broke apart and headed for the galra ship.

——————————————————————— ——— ————————

The robots’ sudden reactivation caught Sinecline off guard and he frantically worked to repel them his his short energy dagger. A sword slashed at him, severing some of his long white hair.

“Spending so long plotting in the dark, your practical skills have withered, baby brother!” Lotor sneered.

“After all this time, I’ve been dying to know why. Why do you support him?” Sinecline asked.

“Support him? Don’t be daft. That thing is not our father. Hasn’t been in millennia. I’ve merely been biding my time and continuing my work waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Much like you, but tell me, do you also desire to be Emperor or are you just another fool who thinks the universe needs to be free from those who’d shape it to be better!” Sinecline lost his grip on the hilt of his laser sword and was forced to pull out a couple of his luxite throwing knives which expanded into daggers.

“Those are as worthless as their wielder!” Lotor yelled.

——————————————————————— ——— ————————

Twyla leapt out of Night Lion and hit the ground running as power sputtered back on.

“We’re withdrawing with your brother and sister,” Allura’s call came in.

“Good. Get them to safety. The rest of us will take control of the ship. Is the Witch dead?”

“Arriora shot her,” Malior said.

“She was an Altean. A pure one all this time and she was working with _him,_ ” Arriora weakly said.

“Shut up and let them treat you!” Merra yelled.

“We got sentries!” Arlioth said.

“We’ll speak later!” Merla yelled. As if on cue, the robots began to swarm them.

 

“How many of these scrap heaps did they stock this ship with!” Merra yelled.

“Too many!” Twyla replied. They had fought their way up to the deck where Sinceline was. Twyla hot-wired open a door only for Sinecline to sail out of it and slam into the hallway wall. Lotor, panting heavily and looking crazed strode out. He regarded them as they slipped into fighting stances but injuries and exhaustion stole any real intimidation by numbers might have had.

 

“Are you _all_ my enemies now?” He sneered.

“I have always been, and you draitaolc well know why, **_brother_** ,” Merra snarled.

“You stopped being my brother when you did _that_ to Merra,” Arlioth yelled.

“You never liked my existence anyway,” Twyla said after a few moments.

“The empire is mine by rights!” Lotor yelled.

 

They charged him and he repelled their attacks.

“How is he doing that?” Arlioth asked.

“Think, genius. We had to fight our way here, and he only had to fight Sinecline whose focus was never hand to hand and Twyla’s not a combat specialist either,” Merra snapped.

“Less talking, more fighting!” Twyla whined. Lotor sent her skidding away just before Arlioth and Merra attempted a double teamed attack, that might have worked had they had more steam. Twyla weakly rejoined the fray. _At this rate we’re going to—_ Something whizzed past her cheek, drawing some blood and struck true into Lotor’s heart. A throwing knife. Sinecline limped in, arm still extended, second knife at the ready in his other hand.

 

“Are my knives worthless now?” Sinecline sneered.

“Foul, treacherous—,” Lotor choked out. Sinecline cut him off.

“You know, I knew that should we succeed, we’d have to kill you too, but now that we’re in the moment, I’m….having second thoughts,” Sinecline said.

“Even after all this you’re still as soft as ever, and you have a misguided sense of mercy?” Lotor snarled.

“No. Because what you’ve done and what you did with Merra….death is too fast for that,” Sinecline stated.

“No,” Merra said.

“I didn’t even say it,” Sinecline replied.

“You didn’t have to,” Arlioth added.

“We will _not_ sink to his level, brother. That’s not how this works,” Twyla said.

“Isn’t it? We helped rebels factions like the Blades of Marmorra among the other various rebellions and we helped Voltron take down our father. You and the pilots of Taibhse made sure he was destroyed. Is that not sinking to their level?” Sinecline yelled.

“So what if it was? Does that mean we should keep doing it?” Merra yelled.

“Killing him would also be sinking to his level. The best we can do is like we should do to a captured enemy vessel: disable his arms and lock him up in a prison even more secure than Betatraz,” Twyla said.

“The middle path. **Weak**. Victory or death.” Lotor gripped the dagger and shoved it in further and moved it around utterly destroying his heart and killing him on the spot. Stunned silence reigned.

“I….didn’t think he’d do that,” Arlioth said. Sinecline closed his brother’s eyes.

“We have a lot of work to do,” he said after a moment.

—————————————————————————————————

“Incoming message from Zarkon’s Vessel!” Coran said. Everyone had been pacing and were relived when the Children of Zarkon, minus Lotor, appeared on screen.

“Greetings all in broadcast range. Zarkon is dead. Lotor is dead. The Witch Haggar is also dead. The Kral Zera will take place soon, but know this: All of the remaining Children of Zarkon who draw breath, and their fleets have vowed to support my bid for emperor, and so you should think carefully to opposing me. This is Sinecline, Zarkon’s eldest son, Signing off.”

—————————————————————————————————

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a one-shot epilogue btw that will be a separate fic  
> But yeah the storyline of _Lab Rat_ is now (officially) done.  
>  Who would have thought that two years ago, out of my own desire to see non-romance oriented Galra!Keith fics (and my love of fanart where Keith was transformed into a fluffy galra) that this series would stretch this long?  
> Certainly not me.  
> The Epilogue-like One shot will be up soon. It's sugary, it's sappy but it's also how I want this storyline to end.  
> You might notice how I made sure to kill off Lotor, Haggar, and Zarkon. 
> 
> That's because, for this story, this is where it all must end. I don't want to attempt to make the events of Seasons 3-6 (with 7 on the way) fit into my very alerted timeline (especially since I love Krolia so much!).  
> So, I wasn't.
> 
> Who knows, maybe there will be more but as of this moment, I have no plans to do much more until after Season 8 of Voltron is over (since that will be the last season).  
> So, as to not end up with parts of canon that are awesome and don't fit into my work.
> 
> Thanks to all who have stuck with this story while I was so horribly stuck on it.  
> I hope you've enjoyed the ride.  
> I know I did.  
> Sincerely,  
>  _Mysterious Prophetess/Obvious Reactionary_


End file.
